Variety of venues for BWFAC runners

Emily Japp keeps pace with Leeds City ACs Georgia Malir

The Northern Cross Country Championships were held at Knowsley Safari Park; a venue which last held the Championships on a windy day in 2014.

Possibly memories of 2013’s thick snow affected the decision of some BWFAC runners with only five juniors and Emily Japp competing.

Japp competed in the 8K senior ladies’ race over two laps.

It was probably her best success in a series of recent brilliant performances as she maintained fifth place towards the the finish in 31:52.

She was one second behind Georgia Malir of Leeds City AC and 11 seconds behind Sale Harriers’ Georgia Taylor Brown (31:41) in third.

First, with a magnificent run, was Claire Duck of Leeds City AC, with Hatti Archer of Hallamshire Harriers (31:30) in the silver medal position.

Fiona Hockey has started the year in positive form as, after a confident performance at Vault Manchester the previous week, she finished fifth with a PB of 3.76m in the senior women’s pole vault in the Welsh Athletics Senior Championships at the National Indoor Athletics Centre in Cardiff.

Meanwhile Katy Wyper and Morgan Lilley travelled north to compete in the Scottish Senior and Under-17 Indoor Championships at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow.

In the 60m, Wyper qualified from the heats and won bronze in the final with 7.69s.

Lilley qualified for the semi-final of the Under-17 men’s 200m, while Under-15 athlete Natalia Luczak also competed in the high and long jumps at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

Nearer to home, Michelle Tickle continued her good form on the road with a PB of 43:32 at the Hunter’s 10K in Preston which saw her 64th and as fifth lady, while also taking the female Vet 40 prize.

Rick Pinches was 109th in 48:03 and Dawn Maher was 151st in 51:36, while Kirsty Holland, who is deep in training for the London Marathon,was happy with 53:21 and 175th place.

At a damp Lytham Hall parkrun, James Greenaway missed out on a course PB by one second as he recorded 17:53 for second place.

Paul Sparrow (19:50) was 13th, Dexter Sparrow (20:38) 19th, Ted Romney (21:25) 30th and Michelle Tickle (22:28) 36th.